To send DS in wth butter (and a note) (lighthearted)

[clary]

Very much a first world problem I know...
DS2 is cooking granola bars next week at school. They are healthy apparently ( at that because the recipe includes sugar, honey and dried fruit).

Anyway he was told they must bring marg not butter as "margarine is lower in fat and healthier than butter". This is nonsense of course as marg is as high in fat as butter and includes potential nasties such as colours, flavouring and preservatives. It also tastes icky (IMO).

DS (bless him) put his hand up and said his mum would only buy butter so was that OK? Teacher said no, if you bring butter you won't be allowed to cook.

AIBU to send him with butter anyway - in a plastic box so you can't tell - and just let him get on with it? DH says I should include a note saying why in case teacher queries it (highly unlikely I would imagine) but only to be shown if that happens.

I don't want to start a fight and I am not going to pick the teacher up on his mistake (except on MN ). But equally I am not about to buy marg yuck.

Sorry this is sooo long.

[formerbabe]

I would send in both along with some information printed off the net about the differences between the two!

[FrauHelgaMissMarpleandaChuckle]

What age is DS?

DD had a horrid home ec teacher one year and she would definitely have noticed and would have made DD sit out.

[Crazy8]

I would send in butter. We don't buy margarine. Butter tastes delicious. Margarine seems so synthetic.

[Rockchick1984]

YABU not to pull the teacher up on it, margarine is horrible stuff!

[Catnuzzle]

Butter all the way here. Send him with butter. That is your informed choice and it's unreasonable of the school to dictate.

[MrsHathaway]

Technically you can't buy "margarine" in the UK, only "spread".

Butter is definitely better for you than spread, but I don't find it easier to bake with.

Granola bars ffs. What about a fruit and nut flapjack? At least that doesn't pretend to be virtuous just by virtue of its nutritious ingredients (oats, nuts, seeds, fruit).

[Alisvolatpropiis]

You'd think a cookery teacher might know that butter was all round better than marg.

Stupid people, stupid people everywhere!

[formerbabe]

Empty out a tub of marg...pour in melted butter and leave it to set. Send that in!

[TheDogsMissingBollock]

Yep, we've had all that bollocks too but send dd in with full fat milk, butter etc despite recipe from ignorant, quasi-literate teacher. Yes, i know they have to follow national curriculum with its outdate food pyramids, carbs good, fats bad, rubbish but we don't/eon't and to my aecret delight dd is challenging her teacher on this. And has since been recommended not to opt for GCSE cooking . Obv we're hugely worried about her life chances now...

[Shesparkles]

I'd be sending the teacher a note asking where she had her information from as it's contrary to what you are aware of.....
I may have had fun with dd's useless home ec teacher by asking her rationale for all he ridiculous policies at a parents night....she thought she was being smart by asking me what qualified me to question her, so I told her about my degree in Home Economics and 10 years as a Food Safety Officer. I think she didn't like me at that point....

[CaptainAnkles]

I can't begin to tell how much crap like this annoys me. Nonsensical food tech recipes and the sheer waste of the stuff they're made to cook.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

@ Shesparkles.

Reminds me of a parents evening at which my Welsh teacher made a snotty comment under her breath only for my mum to answer her straight back in Welsh.

[clary]

LOL formerbabe sadly no marge tubs here, totally never ever buy it.

Organic butter all the way yummy. Don't have a problem with fat and sugar by the way, I love baking, but don't call it "healthy". A healthy snack would be an apple. I do see that there's not much cookery going on there tho

DS is 11. Don't want to become "that" mum (tho I suspect I already am as DS1 is in yr 11 and we have had some issues...)

[fredfredgeorgejnr]

MrsHathaway I believe you can still - e.g. www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Tomor-Vegetarian-Margarine-Block/29448011 but it's certainly not common, even stork and stuff is less than the EU definition of 80%

Anyway, send in suitable ingredients, butter's fine, do not send in a note, that's just dumb.

[Leeds2]

I would cut the required weight of butter, and send it wrapped in tin foil.

[Bunbaker]

I find it pretty disappointing that the teacher thinks that margarine is still better than butter. FGS she should be up to date with current thinking.

I would be inclined to send your son in with some butter and a copy of this thread

[Shallishanti]

Oh, this stuff used to drive me mad. Send in the butter. Give ds a note he can give IF the teacher challenges him (note will compare nutritional value of butter vs marg, could also include something on sustainability, food miles etc)
DS2 was supposed to make crumble at school and to bring a jar of pie filling- I realise cutting and stewing fruit might take too long but it wasn't hard to prepare the fruit at home and send it in in a tub- there is NO WAY we are going to eat anything made of pie filling.
Two of the DCs did food tech GCSE, as a way of learning to cook cheap, healthy and environmentally friendly food I can NOT recommend it. They did chicken curry once. I had discussed in advance the fact that we are vegetarian, not a problem, we love to discuss meat substitutes etc. Cooking was- Open a large pack of quorn chunks. Pour jar of curry sauce over it. Heat. On the plus side, DCs can all cook healthy delicious cheap food.....no thanks to the school.
Butter. That's all.

[clary]

I thought a note was a bit excessive but DH says what if the teacher picks DS2 up (now he has raised his hand and dawn the issue to the tecaher's attention IYSWIM)

Teacher is a man btw, not that that makes it better or worse that he thinks marg is lower in fat than butter

[Shallishanti]

they could do a taste comparison afterwards!

[diddl]

If you don't buy/use margarine, why should you have to buy a tub to use a bit & throw the rest away?

That's ridiculous!

Your son shouldn't have to miss a lesson either.

[FishWithABicycle]

Would you be able to stomach a "spreadable" butter - these are usually mostly butter blended with a small amount of vegetable oil to give it a more margarine-like consistency. Given that you've already queried it, she will be on the lookout for butter, but will be less likely to be able to tell the difference if you put it in an unbranded container.

[FishWithABicycle]

P.s. In the early days of my relationship with DH on a visit to his parents my future MIL asserted that Marg was lower in fat than butter (she kept butter in the house but only used it for very special occasions, and was attempting to make me put marg on my jacket potato - yuck). I cringe at the memory but I got the two packets and read out loud the nutritional information for each line by line. Bless her, I could have made an enemy for life that day tactless as I was, but she is so sweet and lively she has never prevented me from using butter on any subsequent visit.

[Debs75]

Sounds like they have been reading all that healthy start nonsense with its food swaps like diet coke for normal coke and low fat spread for butter. Yuck!!

Let him have butter for his flapjacks, granola, cereal bars. I cook flapjack regularly and always use butter, spread is just disgusting and I hate the way it sweats, I can only imagine the foulness inside. If you want him to make a healthier option then reduce the sugar or syrup, see what the teacher says to that one.

A note to be produced in case of teacher picking on DS could be a printout from a health related website stating benefits of whole foods and a healthier recipe. Good luck

[FishWithABicycle]

Oops lively lovely